


Children of the Corn

by heeeymackelena



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Scarecrows, scary corn maze
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-07-18 23:11:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16128662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heeeymackelena/pseuds/heeeymackelena
Summary: Mack and Elena decide to do a corn maze together, but things get spooky. Turns out Mack's not as tough as he looks.





	Children of the Corn

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheQueenInTheNorth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheQueenInTheNorth/gifts).



> Tumblr prompt "corn maze + Mackelena"

“This was a bad idea. A very, very bad idea.”

“Come on, Turtleman. It’s just a maze. The corn won’t hurt you.” Elena hands their tickets over to the attendant guarding the entrance. He’s dressed as a scarecrow, making the hairs on Mack’s arms stand even higher. “Besides, I bet you could see over the whole thing if you just stood on your tippy toes.”

She takes his hand and leads him fearlessly around the first corner. They are met with a long empty path, nothing but corn stalks on either side. Still, Mack feels the need to make sure they get through it unharmed.

“Don’t try anything funny! She has robot arms and can crush you!”

“Mack!” She smacks his bicep with said robot arms. “There is no one there.”

And yet, Mack notices that she does not march ahead in front of him, but stays close to his side. He knows she’s seen  _Children of the Corn_  as many times as he has. They walk on in silence, ears trying to hear beyond the crunching of their own footsteps. Finally, they reach the next turn only to be met with another long empty path.

“Whoever built this does not know how mazes work. Aren’t we supposed to have options?” Mack asks.

“Maybe too many people got lost last year,” she laughs in reply.

They move more quickly through the maze as they become more confident that it really is just a maze. At the next turn they are once again met with one long path. When they reach the end of that one however, they find a scarecrow aloft a wooden post blocking them from going any further.

“Dead end,” Mack huffs.

“Did we somehow miss a turn?” Elena asks, turning around to examine the way they just came. Mack does so as well. When they turn back towards the scarecrow, he’s gone. Post and all. They can see a fork in the path ahead.

“Oh hell no.” Mack deadpans.

Elena pokes her head through the first row of stalks to see if she could spot the actor hiding within the walls of the maze. Her hand holds on tightly to Mack’s the whole time. She sees nothing, but there are so many shadows it’s possible he is there, quietly snickering at their fear.

“Let’s keep moving.”

Mack doesn’t budge when she tugs on his hand.

“There is no shame in turning back. We did the damn corn maze, now let’s get apple cider donuts and go home.”

“There is only one acceptable way out of a corn maze, Mack, and it’s  _through._  Do you want to go right or left?”

Mack ponders the options for a minute, but really he’s wondering how he fell so hard for such a stubborn woman. He looks at her and catches her watching him with her intense eyes, brow raised expectantly. Oh right.

“Left.”

They continue on without further disturbances. For so long that it makes them question whether they had really seen the scarecrow. They take turns picking which paths to go down, their clasped hands swinging between them as they went. Mack guesses they must be somewhere near the middle by now.

“Let’s go right,” he decides, and he  _is_  right. 

They’ve reached the center of the maze and there, pinned to a cork board, is a map marking the way out. Mack is trying to memorize what turns they need to make when Elena taps him on the shoulder. She pulls out her phone and snaps a quick photo of the map.

“Always so slow, Turtleman,” she teases.

She locks her phone and sees a figure reflected in the black screen. She turns around quickly but there is no one behind them.

“Did you see that?”

“See what?” Mack asks.

There is a flurry of wind as Elena snaps back into place at Mack’s side.

“I thought I saw someone, but I checked it out and there is no one else around.”

“Are you trying to scare me because we’re almost done and your scary maze has been a disappointment?”

“No, I really- never mind. Let’s just keep going.”

Elena is on edge the rest of the way. Her head snaps around every time she thinks she hears something. Her fear makes Mack’s hair stand again.

“Would you knock if off? We’re almost there.”

There is a very loud, very  _clear_ , rustle of corn leaves behind them. Mack freezes in place, turning to stare at the empty path behind them. Elena’s hand is in his again. Then suddenly, he appears. 

It’s the scarecrow they had seen dangling from a post. He limps slowly towards them. He’s far away and the reasonable part of Mack’s brain tells him that the actor has no intention of actually grabbing them. But then a second scarecrow is emerging from the corn stalks beside Elena and the reasonable part of his brain is drowned out by his screams of terror.

Elena feels two hands on her shoulder, pushing her into the costumed nightmare. She hears Mack’s pounding footsteps get further and further away. She quickly brushes herself off and runs after him.

 

* * *

 

“I can’t believe you left me there to die.”

“You weren’t going to die. They were just actors.”

“Then why did you scream like a little girl?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Elena places her mug on the table in front of the couch and snuggles further into Mack’s side. She runs an appreciative hand down his arm.

“All these muscles are just for show then, que no?”

“You know when there’s real danger, I’ve got you.”

Mack flexes the muscles under Elena’s hand and she laughs. She takes his arm and wraps it around her shoulders. He places a soft kiss on the top of her head once she’s settled in.

“As long as its not scarecrows.”


End file.
